Castration

The Mo Clan spanned a hundred miles in all directions.

A sword beam, brilliant as a rainbow, slashed down vertically, carving a bottomless chasm into the terrain that had barely been repaired after the last assault.

Houses collapsed, fires raged skyward.

Tens of thousands of Mo Clan members died under that single sword strike, their final moments marked by nothing but a sudden darkness before their eyes—they felt no pain, no awareness of what had happened.

Standing at the center of the Mo Clan, the Celestial Ascension Stele split with a fine diagonal crack and crashed to the ground.

"Who goes there?"

Countless Mo Clan members looked up and stared in shock at the old man and the youth who had appeared in midair, their faces filled with dread.

This was the second time this had happened. Weren't they supposed to be descendants of a true immortal, one of the eight greatest hidden families in the world? Why were people breaking down their doors every other day?

They hadn't even finished fixing the floors from last time!

"Master, you..."

Chu Jinghong looked at the ruins before him and the Mo Clan members buried in the abyss, a chill running down his spine.

His eyes swept over the scene. Those who had faced the sword's full force died without pain. But those caught near the edge of the blade—their limbs were scattered everywhere, and anguished cries rose and fell. The sight made him frown, unable to suppress a flicker of pity.

Xie Gubai stood with his hands behind his back, coldly scanning the carnage below with an impassive expression.

Those who enjoy the blessings must bear the burdens.

These people had enjoyed the benefits of the Mo Clan, so they had to endure the grudges the Mo Clan had incurred.

"Who dares trespass?"

The commotion naturally drew the attention of the Mo Clan's elders. Several figures shot out from deep within the clan's compound, their auras thick and commanding. The leader was the Grand Elder of the Mo Clan—Mo Xuan.

His eyes swept over the great chasm, the shattered stele, and the scattered remains, and his face turned iron-gray.

If not for the Nameless Immortal Sword Qi that had struck from the sky days ago, shattering the ancient Cataclysm Array left by their ancestors—leaving it still unrepaired to this day—how could these two have broken inside?

"Xie Gubai? You're still alive," Mo Xuan said coldly, fixing his gaze on the intruder. "The lesson from back then wasn't harsh enough for you?"

Hearing this, Xie Gubai glanced at him dismissively.

"And what do you think you are? The old master has no time to waste on you."

"Get lost."

"How dare you!"

"You insolent brat!"

Mo Xuan and the others' faces twisted in fury as they prepared to strike. But then Xie Gubai placed his right hand on his belt, his thumb pressing against the rusted scabbard at his waist, and gave it a light flick upward.

Clang—

A flash of blinding sword light streaked through the air.

Ssssh-click.

The crisp sound of the blade returning to its sheath followed.

Mo Xuan and the others had no time to react before they felt a chill at their necks. Looking down, they saw a thin red line slowly oozing from their throats.

When... when had that happened?

The men raised their heads in disbelief, but could only let out a few guttural gurgles from their throats. Their pupils dilated, and they fell straight from midair, crashing to the ground. Dead, their cultivation and life snuffed out.

"Master?"

Chu Jinghong's eyes widened in shock.

Those men had auras nearly matching the Lock Soul Hall Master's, yet they couldn't withstand even a single move from his master. What kind of inconceivable power was this?

Xie Gubai maintained his calm expression.

The purpose of this visit was simple: kill and rescue.

His gaze swept across the ground below and finally settled on the tallest building. Through layer after layer of walls, he could see Mo Yu standing inside, observing the outside world through a formation.

"He... he's looking at me?"

Mo Yu suddenly felt a gaze descend upon him, and his heart seized in terror. The next moment, an immense force struck. The house around him exploded into fragments, and he was yanked out of the rubble like a chick grabbed by the scruff of its neck.

"H-how is that possible?"

Mo Yu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. How had the other party found him?!

"Ha!"

Xie Gubai let out a cold snort, dispelling his martial insight. He seized Mo Yu by the neck and asked Chu Jinghong, "Is this the little whelp that came looking for trouble at our Azure Mystic Sect?"

Chu Jinghong looked at Mo Yu and nodded.

"That's him."

"He was the one who came with his men that day, claiming our sect was colluding with demonic path cultivators, demanding to take Junior Brother Ye! And he had shady looks at Senior Uncle Lin's granddaughter, and he even tried to do misconduct toward Junior Sister Qingxue!" Chu Jinghong said indignantly.

Bro, seriously?

Mo Yu, whose neck was being squeezed, was about to cry.

He could admit to leading men to capture the Chosen One—that was his job. But trying to do something indecent to the female lead? He hadn't even gotten around to doing it yet!

Hearing this, Xie Gubai's eyes turned icy.

"Bare accusations without evidence, and forcing a false charge—punishment is needed."

With that, he suddenly lifted Mo Yu high, clenched his right fist, and drove it into the boy's mouth.

Pfft!

That punch was delivered with full force, splitting the skin on Mo Yu's face, twisting his jaw to one side, spraying teeth and blood from his mouth. Half of his lips were torn away.

After one punch, Chu Jinghong felt an immense satisfaction.

"Are you going to talk or not?"

Xie Gubai held Mo Yu by the throat, fixing him with a cold glare, and then slammed another punch into his face.

"Ugh..."

Mo Yu let out a strangled breath from his throat.

"Oh? Stubborn one, are you?"

Xie Gubai raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected the young master of the Mo Clan nowadays to have such backbone.

Too bad he was here to save his people today.

"The old master has no time for your games. Are you talking or not? Talk or not?! Talk or not?!"

He held Mo Yu up with one hand and rained down punches on his face like a hailstorm—one blow after another, each followed by the same demand: "Talk or not?" The flesh flew, blood spattered, and both sides of his face swelled into two big buns. Saliva mixed with blood dripped down drop by drop. Even his own mother probably wouldn't recognize him.

Even the Mo Clan members below found the sight too hard to watch, and yelled out:

"Young master, just say it already!"

"Yeah! Just say it already!"

Hearing his clansmen's cries, Mo Yu closed his eyes in agony, screaming inside his heart:

I WANT to speak!

I wanted to speak from the very first word!

But this wretched old geezer opened with a punch that shattered my mouth. My tongue is swollen to the size of a log, and I can't form a single coherent syllable!

How am I supposed to say it?

HOW?!

Enough. Let it all burn.

Mo Yu slowly shut his eyes. Two streams of clear tears trickled from the corners of his eyes as he prepared to welcome his utterly humiliating death.

"Will you talk or not?!"

Xie Gubai's hand had grown tired from hitting. He looked at the boy in his grip, who seemed to have resigned himself to death, and furrowed his brow.

Some tough nut after all, he thought.

"Such a hard bone?" Xie Gubai scratched his head.

Even Chu Jinghong couldn't bear to watch anymore, and quietly reminded his master, "Master, I don't think he won't talk—I think he CAN'T talk..."

Upon hearing this, the utterly hopeless Mo Yu immediately opened his eyes, their light flaring with desperate brilliance, and nodded vigorously at Chu Jinghong, hoping desperately that he had been understood.

"Can't talk?"

Xie Gubai glanced down at Mo Yu's mouth. It was in such a ruin that even opening it fully would take every ounce of strength he had.

"If you couldn't speak, why didn't you say so from the start?"

Xie Gubai muttered a curse under his breath, then drove another hardened punch squarely into Mo Yu's face.

Mo Yu's tears flowed even more freely.

Why did his path as a villain have to be so bumpy? Shouldn't someone with a system be cruising through life smoothly, with nothing but pleasure at least until the grand finale?

From the very beginning, he had been taking nothing but losses!

"Alright, alright, stop crying."

Xie Gubai gave him a disdainful slap, then rubbed his hand on his collar, pulled out a mud pill, flicked it, and the pill flew precisely into Mo Yu's mouth.

Mo Yu felt a foul, fishy stench explode on his tongue, his stomach churning violently, almost making him vomit right there.

But miraculously, the wounds on his face healed at a visible speed, his swollen cheeks gradually subsided, and the broken teeth grew back.

Within three breaths, his face had returned to normal.

"Now, can you talk?" Xie Gubai cast a cold glance at Mo Yu, sneering disdainfully.

"Yes, yes."

Mo Yu nodded frantically, terrified of getting another punch.

"Good. I'll ask you again—where are the people of Qingxuan Sect right now?" Xie Gubai asked.

"Qingxuan Sect?"

Mo Yu froze, then looked completely bewildered.

He was dead—how was he supposed to know where the Qingxuan Sect people were? He wanted to ask them where they were himself!

"I... I don't know..."

He stammered, his voice filled with fear.

"You don't know?"

Xie Gubai's eyes narrowed, a cold gleam flashing within them. "Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson."

With that, he suddenly drew a wooden sword.

In an instant, celestial light converged around them, countless intricate runes descended from the sky, finally embedding themselves onto the sword's surface, shimmering with dazzling brilliance.

"What... what are you trying to do?"

Staring at that decayed wooden sword, Mo Yu's face turned pale, and an indescribable terror rose from the depths of his heart.

"Since you're so obsessed with women's charms,"

"And even went as far as to commit a massacre for the sake of women, and still refuse to confess now, I'll have to ensure that you can never again indulge in carnal pleasures!"

As Xie Gubai spoke, the wooden sword pointed between Mo Yu's legs.

"I'll ask you one more time."

"Will you talk or not!"

"I don't know! I really don't know!" Mo Yu was almost in tears, snot and tears streaming down his face. "I truly don't know where the Qingxuan Sect people are, believe me!"

"Still stubborn?"

Xie Gubai frowned, inching the wooden sword closer.

Seeing that this stubborn old man wouldn't listen, Mo Yu suddenly jerked his head up and screamed, "YO! Dad, come save me, YO!!!"

At the same time, in the secret chamber of the Mo family.

Mo Yuan, who was recovering from his injuries, frowned, slowly opening his eyes. His gaze pierced through layers of barriers, seeing the scene outside.

"Fool!"

All this trouble for a bunch of women.

Now that he had been heavily wounded by that sword strike, he might not be a match for that old fart Xie Gubai. How could he risk himself for a waste like Mo Yu?

Once he recovered, everything would fall into place.

As for Mo Yu?

None of his business.

Above the Mo family estate, Mo Yu, having finished screaming, waited in vain for his father to act, and had finally lost all hope.

Xie Gubai's expression remained cold as he swung the sword down.

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream rang out, and everyone in the Mo family, including Chu Jinghong, instinctively clamped their legs together.

A chunk of flesh fell from the height, landing with a splat on the ground, only to be snatched away by a passing stray dog.